Derp!
We most certainly do not agree on that point. Bad economic decisions made in the past do not excuse bad decisions made to emulate them.
But that’s a digression.
For me, the issue has two components. The first that we’ve allowed the politicians to make trade a bargaining chip of international politics, with idiotic trade “negotiations” that in essence read “we’ll lower our tariffs if you do the same”, as if not taxing imports somehow puts a country at some sort of disadvantage vis-a-vis those who do. Which is not only complete rubbish, but is exactly counter to the facts of the matter.
The second problem is these international agreements have gone beyond the traditional efforts to lower tariffs, and now extend to efforts to “harmonize” environmental, labor and other laws across trading partners. So you get the WTO ruling on the fidelity of one nation or another adhering to an agreement. I’m sure that we can agree that we don’t care for this sort of erosion of US sovereignty.
My preference would be for conservatives to stop playing that game, and ground the case for free trade solidly on American economic interests. In this view, free trade isn’t about international agreements, IMF bailouts or UN meddling in our affairs. It is however, about freedom. Freedom to buy and sell, freedom of choice, and freedom from government taxes and regulation. And perhaps eqally importantly, freedom from subsidizing well-connected special interests.
Conservatism has long made the case that America’s national economic interest lies in more freedom, not less. Less government meddling, not more. Which is where I will make my stand, regardless of who’s running for president.